Pictures Worth a Thousand Tales
by Yami Dragoness of Dark
Summary: A picture is worth a thousand tales, so what tales do the other Arcobaleno's pictures tell? Fon is determined to find out. For GymleaderNaeco. Arcobaleno Shenanigans! :3 Fluff, and cheeze.


Yami: I LIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!

Dark: Well half of you -points at legs-

Yami: Yeah, due to an unforseen event (though we shoudl have seen it coming) softball, which has taken up so much of our time, is on hold pending investigation. Chronic leg pains that got worse for 15 years took a turn for the worse. We're not sure which one of us it originated from (or which one of us has the actual problem and who just feels the pain) but walking is difficult. So now We work on Fridays, and have classes in the morning. Which means more time to write. :) which means more stories up sooner. YEAH!

Dark: Silver lining?

Yami: I need silver linings right now, so shut up!

Kenshin: This story is for a special reader, GymleaderNaeco, who requested another Arco one-shot. Specifically Fon. So here it is. Yami-dono had a little TOO much fun with it ha-ha.

Yami: Yes I did. Why is it writing 13 pages for a fanfic isn't hard, but it's hard to write even three pages for a report? -sigh-

Summary: A picture is worth a thousand tales, so what tales do the other Arcobaleno's pictures tell? Fon is determined to find out.

Rating: K+ because there is death, but not of canon characters.

A/N: To all who read it, this had NOTHING to do with the Family verse. There are some overlap of characters but that's because I often reuse characters in other stories.

A/A/N: I'm trying to get characters more in character, if they go OOC, please tell me!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Reborn! I do own the obvious characters that are MINE! Ask before use.

EDIT!: Lol I forgot to write one part. It was written in my head but never made it onto the screen, don't you hate it when that happens? Thanks to all who pointed out what I forgot.

* * *

Fon liked high places. Perhaps it was because he was almost the wind personified. In high and open places, the wind was free to blow as it wished, with nothing to direct it, nor attempt to control or contain it. In the wild, while it had trees and mountains to divert its path, it remained free and clean, whistling cheerfully through nature's wonders. In the city it was horrible. Plenty of high buildings but the air was polluted, the noise was horrible, and everything acted as a container, a controller to the wind's powerful gales. Trees waved and bent, buildings didn't. So perhaps this is why Fon so dearly loved forests, with tall trees and high mountains. His own childhood growing up in Tibet at the base of Mount Everest might have something to do with it as well. But I am digressing.

Fon liked high places. Even in the forest home where the L'Prescetla Sette dwelled, he could always be found by looking up. His room was at the top of the house, in the living room, he enjoyed sitting atop the numerous bookshelves that were scattered about, and outside he was almost always up a tree or climbing the cliffs.

From his place above the others, the storm wielder could watch the events unfold with a full view of it. Many fights broke out because of someone lacking a vital piece of information that could easily have been obtained if they joined Fon up on the shelves or in the trees once in awhile. Those who lived only with their feet on the ground saw but pieces of the puzzle, incomplete, and chaotic. Fon, from his better vantage point, saw things as a whole. The puzzle became more complete, the pieces fit together so much easier when you saw things from above, not from within.

This "height obsession" as Reborn called it, also gave Fon a better understanding of his fellow L'Prescetla Sette. Skull and Viper always fought with one another like siblings. Skull was loud and required movement to be kept in any semblance of quiet. Viper needed quiet, a calm peaceful atmosphere in order to keep her (and Fon _knew_ Viper was female) powers in check. He had seen what happens when they get out of hand.

Lal liked order. Her room was military style, with little decoration, and everything in its place. The only thing that didn't have a place in the Spartan like room was a picture of a blonde haired, blue eyed male. It sat on the bedside table close to the bed.

Reborn and Luche were obviously together. He'd seen them walking through the forest together, on the porch talking late into the night. Luche was bright and kind. Perhaps the perfect word was motherly, or maternal. She treated everyone kindly, like they were family. The treatment sometimes annoyed Lal, who didn't like being treated like a child. Reborn was the opposite. He ordered people around like he was the boss, if you failed to do as he said the first time, you'd be lucky if he didn't pull out his gun and shot you. How they managed to stay together even Fon didn't know. But he sat back and watched them from his safe place just out of eyesight.

Verde was…difficult. He was cool logic, and pure science. Numbers were his friends, and the storm hated it when the scientist came up from his lab smelling of unnatural chemicals. God knows what he was doing down there. Verde was the only one Fon didn't have a good grasp on, but that was because the man stayed in the basement all day and night, and rarely came up except to eat. His room was stacked with papers and books. It was chaos, as opposed to his strict, reasonable nature. Like Lal's room, the only thing that didn't belong in the room was a picture in a frame on the bedside table (though in Verde's case it sat atop several books on the bedside table). Fon hadn't gotten a look at the picture yet, but he did wish to, if only to satisfy his curiosity.

In fact…most of the members had a picture frame protecting their most precious person behind a glass shield. Luche's picture was of all of them. Just like her. Skull had one of a girl that looked just like him, a twin sister he suspected. Viper's was of an older male with her hair. An older brother. Even Fon had one of his three younger sisters, and baby brother. Reborn was the only one who lacked a frame, perhaps simply due to his paranoia from being a hitman for most of his life.

"Fon," a voice called, breaking him from his train of thoughts. Looking down, he saw Luche standing beneath his tree, smiling up at him. "Its dinner time, won't you come down?"

He offered her a pleasant smile, and leapt gracefully from the tree. A few leaves fell, but no more. "Of course," he replied. Like the proper gentleman, he offered his arm. With a giggle, she accepted, slipping her arm through his.

Inside, everyone was already at the table. Viper and Skull were arguing. Verde and Reborn were talking in harsh voices, apparently over a missing book. Lal was doing her best to ignore everyone else in the room. When the last two entered, she sighed, "Thank God. Serve dinner please, it'll shut these idiots up."

"Well why is everyone fighting?" inquired the mother of the group.

"He took my book on advanced decomposition!" Verde accused, pointing at Reborn.

"I did not!" growled the hitman. "For the last time. I didn't touch your stupid book. Nor did I go into your room. Why would I? What do I care for decomposition? My victims are never found."

Something peaked in Fon's memory. Verde stumbling out of his room, eyes heavy with sleep, holding a book. The scientist fell asleep on the couch in the living room.

"It's in the living room," the storm informed the lightning. He didn't feel the need to elaborate on his nighttime watching.

Luche turned to the two youngest members. "And you two?"

"He won't turn down his stupid music," Viper complained. "I was trying to meditate."

"It wasn't even up loud!" Skull exclaimed. "It wasn't even halfway up, and you could go anywhere else to meditate. My sound system is only in my room!"

Luche sighed, and set the food on the table. "Viper, you can meditate elsewhere. Skull, there are others in this house, perhaps you should use your headphones more." She sat, and dinner began.

Dinner was always interesting. Fon liked to watch people and learn what he could about them. Watching someone eat, their little habits, told stories. Like Luche. She ate like a lady, one from money and power. Placing her napkin on her lap, cleaning her lips with the same napkin daintily. She held her utensils just so, cutting her meat then switching knife and fork.

Skull and Viper were childish in their eating. Skull ate like a teen raised in a normal lower middle class family. Enough sense which to use and how to hold, but aside from that, nothing. Viper ate slowly, like she was savoring the taste. Her manners were no better than Skull's, except that they looked better since she ate slower. When she first came here, she ate just as fast as the cloud guardian.

Lal was just as military with her eating as she was with everything else. Meat cut into uniform pieces, knife and fork held correctly though there was no transfer of hands after cutting. She cut all the meat first and then ate. Every piece of food had its place on her plate and nothing, not even the gravy moved into another's territory. Her napkin was on her lap but she didn't take the time after a certain number of bites to clean her mouth. She ate fast, like someone who got a very limited time to eat. Her manners suggested middle to upper middle class.

Reborn ate like someone who wanted to enjoy their meal, with manners of the upper middle class, but if you wanted closely, he ate fast, like someone who worried about if this was their last meal.

Verde stabbed his food and shoved it in his mouth. His mind wasn't on the food. You could put anything on his plate and he'd eat it simply because his mind was downstairs in his lab and not upstairs on his meal. It left much to be desired, but he knew how to hold his fork and knife, and not to slurp, which Skull always did, plus he put his napkin in his lap. Middle class.

Fon didn't like forks, knives, and spoons. He was raised in Tibet, where the Chinese influence was great. His mother was Tibetan, his father Chinese and he was raised with both cultures. These foreign utensils were annoying, but he learned to work with them. He had been raised well, his father a second son in a trade company. It specialized in trade with the villages in Tibet that were not easily reached. His mother was the village head's daughter, so he knew how to deal with the highest amongst them… Didn't mean he ever did.

As soon as dinner was over, everyone went their separate ways. Reborn helped Luche clean up then left her to do the dishes. Fon offered to help and was waved away with a cheery smile and a musical laugh. "No, no, I like doing this." So Fon was left to find something to do.

He didn't mind having nothing to do. Often he would meditate somewhere quiet, or observe his fellow housemates. Today, he felt like doing the latter. Knowledge of from what they were, and what financial background they came from didn't tell him _who_ his 'friends' were. Who was Skull before he joined them? Why did Viper eat like she wasn't used to eating real meals? Why was Reborn so darn paranoid?

Deciding he wanted to know, Fon set his sights on his housemates. First up, the easiest, Skull.

Skull:

The music was horrendous. Almost painful, and Fon was sure by the end of the day he would be deaf. Either deaf or forever have a ringing in his ear. But he still sat there, smiling as Skull worked on what looked like motorcycle parts. "So who is the group?" Fon asked when it appeared Skull wouldn't be the one to start the conversation.

"An American band. They're seriously awesome!" Skull replied, not looking up from the part. "I sneaked into a few of their concerts. Once one of the members stopped to check out my motorcycle. Knew his stuff."

There. Something to grab onto. "Sneaked in?"

Skull nodded. "Yeah. Well, we never had lots of money. Lots of kids. But when it was just me and Gabriel, everything was alright. We built my first motorcycle together."

"Gabriel?" Something else new.

"My twin sister." He stood, brushed imaginary dust from his pants, and went to his bedside table. The picture with him and the girl that was nearly identical to him. "She was older by a few minutes, but it didn't matter, we were always together."

Fon didn't miss the use of past tense. He fought internally for a few moments before his curiosity won out. "Was?"

Skull set the picture down. "We ran away from the orphanage, and started doing stunts together. She died of an aneurysm during a stunt. That's where I got my name from. Twins are so alike, and the stunt was dangerous. I survived, she didn't."

"I'm sorry."

Skull grinned. "Thanks. I'm fine though. It's the bike we made together I always ride, and her helmet I always wear. We're always together." He thumped his chest.

The music filled in for the silence between them. Skull continued his work, and Fon meditated. Perhaps ten minutes elapsed before the younger male asked, "Wanna learn about motorcycles?"

Fon nodded. "I would enjoy it very much."

Viper:

The room was rather dark. Apparently she preferred it that way. Thick curtains drawn and the lights dimmed. No outside light at all. Meditating in here was nice, but a little suffocating. There was little air circulation, and the only noise was from a ceiling fan on low. Its low hum was a constant, steady beat that never changed.

The two occupants sat in the near silence, just meditating, Fon sitting on the floor, Viper hovering above it.

The calm was finally broken by the soft whispery voice of the magician. "Why are you here?"

"To join you in quiet meditation," replied Fon.

Viper snorted most unladylike. "I don't believe you. Lie to me again and I'll make you pay." Literally probably.

"Curiosity," the red clad martial artist admitted. "I know you all and yet I do not. I like to know my comrades."

Another snort, though this time it was soft, and sounded more like a suppressed laugh. "Why do you want to know about me?"

"Understanding a comrade helps you to understand why they do the things they do. For example, why you insist on pretending to meditate when all you are really doing is expanding your powers." A soft gasp. Fon's smile didn't waver. "Why do you?"

Viper shifted uneasily, something Fon had rarely seen before. It showed exactly how startled she was that she didn't' demand payment before divulging the truth. "I never did before. My powers would get out of hand. They would explode at any given moment. Left me tired, and left others dead." She floated up a little higher and flipped over. If Fon had bothered to open his eyes and look, he would have seen two indigo eyes watching him intently.

"It seems like many of us have unfortunate pasts," commented the storm calmly.

That got Viper's attention. "Who else have you spoken to?"

Fon chuckled and put a finger to his lips. "Perhaps you should be getting to know the others as well. Do continue with your story."

A scoff. "What else is there to tell?"

"The picture?"

A short intake of breath. A moment of silence. Then… "My older brother. He raised me after an outburst killed our parents. He died too, two years before I became known. We never had money. Even when our parents were alive."

"Explaining your love of money."

"Yes." A pause. "What about you? I demand some payment!"

He had known she would ask for something. Perhaps money, but not his story. "My mother and father were both very important people. I was the eldest. I spent all my time day dreaming and training. My younger brother took over the company and village leadership in my stead." It was the short version of a very long, very tiring tale. Viper seemed to understand this, though she asked no more. Sometimes it was harder when everyone you loved was alive, than when they were all dead.

No more was said. The two settled down for some more meditation.

Verde:

Verde was…odd to say the least. He was a direct sort of person, but took hints well. He was a scientist; he took many hints very well. If there was a hint of an answer he would stalk it. But it seemed in social circumstances that he didn't take hints well. Or perhaps he did and was simply being evasive.

Down in the sterile white lab, with its many tubs and beakers filled with colorful chemicals, and books and papers everywhere, Fon felt very, very claustrophobic. The room was spacious, but it was so crowded, and white with the odd splashes of color that it nearly drove him to a panic attack just being down here. But he stayed. Because he wanted to learn.

Verde didn't share his secrets easily. Not in anything. It took coming down to the lab for a week before the scientist would willingly talk to him. Now he would ask for this or that to be handed to him. To please turn up the flame a bit, or to remove something from the heat. It was progress even if Fon hated it. He wanted fresh air. But his curiosity would not sit. And the same picture from the bedroom sat at the desk. It was the exact same one, suggesting Verde carried it with him.

Finally, the subject of the past was broached. By Verde no less.

"You are seeking information?"

Fon, who was putting some books back onto a shelf, nodded. "That I am."

"Concerning what?"

"You. Everyone. I am interested in understanding each of you. For though we were all brought here, we come from such different places."

"A logical inquiry."

"I think so too."

Silence.

"What…do you wish to ask?" There was a bit of hesitation in his voice that Fon didn't miss.

"The picture." It was not a question, but it might as well have been one. Verde's green eyes shifted to the picture on his desk than back to his work. It was several minutes before he answered.

"My x-wife."

"X?"

"We were married for two years, when she left. Couldn't handle my schedule and how science always seemed to come first." A tinkle of glass. "I was never good at social or emotional things. I didn't know how to tell her not to leave. It was logical for her to leave, but…"

"You wish she hadn't?"

A nod. "She was pregnant. Three months. Had I known I would have tried harder. But we fought, and I was angry."

"What happened to her?"

"Died. In childbirth. Both her and the child she carried."

"Ah."

More clinking of class, and some scrapping of metal.

"You?"

"Disowned for being too much of a daydreamer."

A snort. "I can believe it."

Fon allowed himself to chuckle.

And just like that, the lab didn't feel quite so small.

Lal:

Fon had always gotten along with Lal. His calm personality compared to her strict one was almost fitting. She would rant, he would nod and smile much like Luche did, just without the feminine advice. So getting her to talk about her past wasn't that hard. The story itself was very military. Military father marries civilian mother. Military father wanted a boy and got her. She worked hard and trained for him. Military father dies; she joins the navy and becomes a ranking officer in record time, then becomes a trainer. Simple. It was the parts after that story that really interested Fon.

Apparently Lal had one student who was forever bothering her. Colonnello was his name. He was a punk from the streets of Italy, thrown out of the system when he hit sixteen. He had been rude, rash, and a troublemaker from day one. All other officers and trainers had given up on him when he came under Lal's wing.

"I swear, he was just being a troublemaker so _I_ had to deal with him. All because I kicked his ass when he was harassing some of the female trainees on the first day. Stupid arrogant…" She ranted, and raved, and cursed his existence and then cursed those who brought him into the world. But the more she talked about his "little adventures" as she called them, the more the edges of her mouth kept twitching upward in an almost smile. This Colonnello was the one from the picture, and he had a hold on the woman's heart. Even Fon could see this.

He left with many more answers than he had intended.

Reborn:

Fon attempted to get a peek through the brick wall Reborn had built around himself. He wanted to know the man under it all. Instead he found not only a brick wall, and an iron wall re-enforced with steal and titanium. Then there was some marble and rock just to add another barrier, and finally a ten foot thick sheet of ice arctic ice. There was _no_ getting through. When he realized what Fon was doing, Reborn told him so in no uncertainly terms. He also mentioned that he could make Fon disappear and ensure he was never found.

He desisted in his attempts to peek at the real man, but he stayed around nonetheless. What he needed was truth and time to work a hole through the barriers. He would have to work slowly. Rushing this job would be disastrous. He would wait.

Luche:

Luche was an enigma. Even more so than Reborn. Her past was perfectly known. Her mother, and grandmother, and great-grandmother and so on had ruled one of Italy's mafia Families. There had never been any man in her life, and she was not in an arranged marriage like many mafia daughters. She liked cooking, and baking. Her skills in the home made her the perfect housewife. She was nice, kind, caring, and gentle. But that was just it. Under the image of a perfect housewife and woman was the leader of a strong mafia Family. Any man to marry her would have to be very special and not mind being second to her. And even amongst their own group, she ruled them all. Not with an iron fist and a gun, but with kindness. It was perhaps the most deadly thing about her. She could get you to do anything just by asking kindly, because she was just like that. It didn't take violence, threats, or blackmail. There was always the threat that your victims would revolt. But when kindness was your weapon, no one batted an eye when they did your bidding.

Even Reborn submitted to her! Of course, as Fon already knew, the two were obviously together. (Obvious to someone who has a bad habit of watching others.) Fon didn't know which questions to ask. With everyone else they were obvious. Who is it in the picture? What is your past? But with Luche, the people in the picture were all of them. And everyone knew her past.

So it happened that one day, when he was helping Luche bake some cookies, he noticed something different about the woman and the question tumbled out before he could stop it. "Is the father Reborn?"

The rolling pin almost slipped from her grip. At the last second Luche gripped it strongly once more and smiled up at the storm guardian with all the glow of an expecting mother. Winking, she put a finger to her lips. "Don't tell anyone. Reborn doesn't even know yet. I want to surprise him."

Fon nodded. His question was answered.

They returned to baking cookies. And that was that.

(Many years later)

Fon looked around at everyone gathered in the room. It was warm, with a comfortable atmosphere. Things felt right. Despite the red rimmed eyes of two of the occupants, everyone looked happy. Reborn was sitting with Uni, telling her stories while the little girl sat on her grandfather's lap, her attention never deviating from him. There was a gentle smile on the hitman's face Fon had never thought he'd live to see.

Verde was sitting on the floor with his wife, Rossa, and their daughter girl Ivy. A heavy book of Latin words and complex formulas was resting on the rug before them, little Ivy happily pointing out things as her parents explained them. Happiness was not apparent on Verde's face, but his green eyes were brighter than Fon had ever seen them.

Colonnello and Lal were sitting on the love seat, both children, rambunctious Nala, and young Mustang, nestled against their parents. Colonnello was reading a story, his voice falling and rising in pitch depending on which character was speaking. At times when he attempted a really high voice, Nala would giggle and Lal would roll her eyes.

Viper was sitting in an armchair near the fire, relaxing. Her excuse for not being with her husband and young son was that she needed a rest from them. Seriously. The pair was driving her up the wall, and just for one night, she wanted peace. This reunion was her chance to be away from her very odd husband and just as odd son. She promised to bring Bel and Fran next time.

Across from Viper, huddled close to the fire was Skull. In his arms he rocked a newborn baby girl while a three-year-old boy used his father's thigh as a pillow. The three had arrived last, because it had taken nearly two hours to check baby Gabriel out of the hospital, and then Lucifer had started to fuss when they left without his mother. It was hard to explain death to a toddler.

Fon himself sat in an overstuffed armchair, his great niece curled up in his lap, fast asleep. China was not the friendliest of places right now, and when his niece had a second child, a daughter, they hadn't known what to do with her. Despite all their money and influence, they didn't want her to stay in China but the family in Tibet wouldn't take her either. On the verge of disowning and leaving the baby at an orphanage, Fon had returned and taken her. His reappearance after so many years of being disowned had shocked the entire family. Not to mention it had been very painful for him. But it was worth it for the little gift sleeping in his lap.

Things are certainly different now, Fon mused as he looked around. The smiles, the looks, and yet there was a familiar feeling in the room. One of family, of comfort, of love. He smiled and leaned back in his chair.

It was an hour later, when the kids had fallen asleep, and now they all just sat and enjoyed each other's company, silently mourning their leader's absence, when Skull suddenly said, "Well Fon-sempai, did you ever satisfy your curiosity?" Everyone looked towards the martial arts master. He glanced around at everyone, remembering the tales they told, the things he'd learned; seeing how they all were now, after many years, children and grandchild resting against them, the new spark in the eyes, or upward pull at the edge of their mouths. His eyes lingered longest on Reborn. He looked no older than when they were transformed. In fact, he looked younger, the smile and warmth in his eyes gave him back years that the paranoia and scowl took away. At long last, Fon smiled.

"I do believe so."

That next day, Fon happily placed a new picture on his bedside table next to the one of his siblings. The three generations smiled back at him.

"A picture truly tells a thousand tales."

* * *

Yami: Ta-da!!! Originally I was going to have Ivy be either Verde's grandchild (in which case his child had lived but he was lied to) or had him make her. I decided to be nice to him and give him anotehr chance at a family. I'm too soft.

Confusion? Let me explain.

Skull: Orphan, had a twin sister who died. His daughter is named after her, the son is named Lucifer because his wife thinks it's a strong name despite it's origins. She died in childbirth giving birth to Gabriel who was born premature.

Reborn: I SHIP REBORN/LUCHE! That means Aria is their daughter and Uni their granddaughter. I've got a running bet with Great Question over whether A) they were romantically involved and B) is Aria is their daughter. I hope she is. Anyways, his past is a secret. My theory is a secret too ;)

Luche: Not much to say. I just love her X3

Verde: his family had enough money growing up, but he was a difficult child because of his brilliance. His first wife left him when she was pregnant with their child. Both died. Now he's married to his assisant Rossa, and they have their daughter Ivy.

Viper: It is my opinion that she/he loves money because she lacked it when growing up. Her parents spent all the money they had on trying to help their daughter. Since she is noted not only to be an illuionist but a magician (suggesting possible real magic powers) I took a trip into another world where restraining magic power causes "attacks" where the magic escapes in violent fits. That's how both her parents and then older brother died.

Fon: In China the first son is the most important child. So Fon is a very important child. His three sister were less so (very less so) and his little brother was important but not as much as he was. Fon spent all his time daydreaming and training, not studying or helping his father and grandfather run the company/run the village. When it became obvious that he would never be the son they wanted, his parents disowned him. His little brother took over everything and his sisters were married off. It was his second sister who's daughter had the child that Fon takes. In China now, you are allowed one child, maybe two if you've got the money and influence. If not, you're screwed. (all info based on Spirit of China class. No insult meant to the Chinese people. I luv you and your culture! And egg rolls...and pork buns -day dreams of Chinese food-)

THANK EVERYONE!

R&R


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